Plans to improve the A595 at Bothel have been given a £5 million boost.
The Government cash, secured by Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, will help the county council development of its A595 Bothel Strategic Improvement plan and the delivery on the ground of an improvement at the A595 Greyhound Inn/Torpenhow junction.
An application for funding was made to the Department for Transport in August 2019 to develop and deliver the A595 Bothel Strategic Improvement.
No decision has yet been made to give the scheme the green light.
However, the county council said the £5m from the local enterprise partnership will be used to undertake more design work, survey and data collection and environmental assessment to allow the submission of a planning application and other statutory processes necessary to make the scheme ’shovel ready’ should DfT funding be agreed.
Some of the cash will be used to reconstruct the A595 Greyhound Inn / Torpenhow junction, which was identified as a priority for the local community during public consultations.
Proposals to reduce the speed limit on the A595 as it passes by Bothel to 50mph are also progressing, the authority said.
Cumbria County Council is planning further consultations to allow further comment and feedback on the proposals as the design develops.
Councillor Keith Little, Cumbria County Council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “The county council has been working hard to secure improvements to the A595 in the Bothel area alongside the local community because we believe it’s a really important scheme.
“The improvements will not only improve journey times and help boost the county’s economy but also create a safer and more resilient road network. I’d like to thank the public for their feedback and support to date. There will be further opportunities for public consultation in the new year.”
Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership board member Dr Steve Curl, who leads on transport and infrastructure, said: “We were delighted to secure funding through the Government’s Getting Building Fund for this important scheme, which has the potential to significantly improve transport links within the county and therefore assist our economy as it strives to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This contribution will help fund further design work and allow essential data gathering as well as some physical reconstruction ahead of the full scheme, which still awaits Department for Transport funding approval.”
All the latest information on the project can be found at: www.cumbria.gov.uk/a595bothel
